We visited the Boardman Tree Farm recently, hoping to see it before it’s cut down. We went with the typical shots in mind – down the aisles of trees, looking up at the boughs from below, the stunning autumn colors – but we never anticipated what the day would actually hold for us.

We bumped into a couple of friends, and they were prepared. They came with a hula hoop, bright clothing, and best of all: a white wolf costume.

I wore my red jacket for some contrast, but I didn’t think to be more creative than that. I don’t quite understand why it didn’t occur to me, as I’m an avid cosplayer.

The white proved to be an excellent compliment to the fall colors, and we had far too much fun with the poses. Nothing was planned; we took it as the ideas came to us. And together, we managed a unique session!

We started with simple poses. This quickly evolved into playing with the billowing cape – running and jumping. Finally, we started throwing leaves.

It’s amazing how many leaves it actually takes to have an adequate shower, and we had to try several times before we got just the right placement. The direction was best when the wolf threw the leaves herself, but for an at-rest pose, we needed help. Aaron to the rescue!

They had also brought a dull hatchet, so we combined her wolf with my red jacket for a quasi-Red Riding Hood wolf hunt. It was difficult to keep a straight face long enough for the photos!

Photos courtesy of Aaron Shade

All in all, we had far more fun than we were planning, and we captured photos at Boardman that I know no one else will have (despite its popularity). I now also know we should always be prepared with a simple costume or two, as that made all the difference!